In a Facebook post, Saayoni described Dutta as an extraordinary artist and human being who rose above political ideologies.
‘He gifted me one of the most important characters of my life’
“Some tragic news leaves us completely speechless. Yet whenever I think of Anik Da, one truth will always remain forever — beyond political ideologies, Anik Dutta the human being, Anik Dutta the artist,” she wrote.
Recalling her experience of working with the filmmaker, Saayoni added, “He gifted me one of the most important characters of my life. His intellect and his consciousness inspired and fascinated me time and again, and it is in that admiration that Anik Da will continue to live on for me.”
“What remains now is an irreplaceable loss, a void that can never truly be filled. Anik Da was truly ‘Aparajito’ — in art, in cinema, and in life. There can never be another like him,” the MP added.
Notably, Saayoni had publicly opposed the then TMC government’s decision when Dutta’s Aparajito was allegedly denied screening at Kolkata’s Nandan film complex in 2022.
Speaking exclusively to IBNS at the time, she had said, “I do not support it. I really think Aparajito is a film which deserves to be shown in Nandan.”
She had termed the decision “very sensitive” and expressed hope that the authorities would reconsider the move.
Political controversy around ‘Aparajito’
Dutta’s Leftist political ideology and his outspoken criticism of then West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her TMC were widely linked to the controversy surrounding the film’s exclusion from Nandan.
Filmmaker dies after terrace fall
Police said Dutta sustained critical injuries after falling from the terrace of his residence in south Kolkata on Wednesday.
He was rushed to a private hospital near Dhakuria, where doctors declared him dead. The filmmaker was 65.
Handwritten note recovered
According to a TV9 Bangla report, police recovered a handwritten note from Dutta’s residence stating, “No one is responsible for this.”
The recovery of the note has added a possible suicide angle to the filmmaker’s mysterious death. However, police have not officially confirmed the contents of the document and said the investigation is still underway.